Squad Fifteen
by Dark Inu Fan
Summary: With his powers returned and a peace settled over Seireitei, Ichigo discovers that there are many things that he has yet to learn about being a shinigami, and a captain at that.
1. Guitar

Hello, this is my latest story. I have quite a few plans and expectations for her, but I (like with Birth Marks, My Inuyasha Epic Story) have no clue where this will ultimately go. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or just want to talk, please feel free to leave a review. And with all of my other FANficton, I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does, and I doubt he's willing to share.

Squad Fifteen, Chapter One

He needed to be alone. Just, away from everything else. Away from School. From work. From friends. And especially away from family. At the moment, he didn't particularly know where he was, nor did he really particularly care. All he knew was that he was somewhere on the outskirts of Seireitei with a field of grass that stretched at least two kilometers in each direction. He sat at the base of the only tree within sight and tuned his guitar, closing his eyes and blocking out everything but the notes resonating from the strings. Settling for a simple tune, his fingers started moving on their own as he lost himself in still-fresh memories.

After Ginjou and getting his powers back, Ichigo had no clue what would happen next. Over the past seventeen months, he had almost resigned himself to a dull human existence, at least while he was alive. It's not as if he entertained fantasies of regaining his powers once his body gave out. Especially when he saw his nakama excuse themselves for the restroom or nurse's office. When he learned Fullbring, it brought new hope, a renewed flame to the glowing embers in his soul. He would not be helpless. He would not be forced to the sidelines any longer. And when he was given the spark to fully ignite his shinigami powers again, it felt as if the last seventeen months were a dream.

"Hello." Ichigo greeted to empty air, not bothering to look up.

"You've improved, Ichigo-kun." A voice replied, allowing his stealth to drop as he sat down beside the young prodigy. "I didn't know you played anything."

Ichigo shook his head. "Chad taught me a little before… everything happened, and during the war I didn't have any time to practice." As he spoke, his fingers picked up a more Spanish note. "I've had a lot of practice lately Ukitake-taichou."

The white-haired captain nodded, picking at the large basket he had set down. "I would expect so. Do you mind if we join you? It's such a lovely day out that Shunsui, Yamamoto-sensei and I thought we would enjoy the fresh air for a few hours, and possibly the sunset as well." Ichigo blinked, unsure.

"If this is your spot, I can leave." Ichigo stopped playing and pulled his case closer. "I just came out here because it was quiet."

Ukitake smiled and put his hand on the closed lid, forestalling his movements, "Please, Ichigo-kun, stay. It would be nice to listen to you play for a bit longer. And I brought enough for everyone since Retsu-chan can't make it.

Sighing, Ichigo settled back down and started plucking once again, "Yuzu is going to be upset that I'm skipping dinner again."

"Yuzu is a lovely name, is she your girlfriend?" At that, Ichigo started choking on air and hit a sour note.

"No!" He shook his head, trying not to laugh. "She's my little sister."

"Ah, she cooks?" Ichigo nodded, absently playing a lullaby. "Where is your mother? Why doesn't she cook?"

"Grand Fisher. I was nine." Ichigo shrugged, frowning. "Hopefully she's out there or reincarnated by now." He gestured vaguely to Seireitei's outer walls.

"Ah. I'm sor-"

"Please don't. Grand Fisher is dead. That's all that there is about that." Ukitake nodded, dropping the subject. Looking around, he spotted his friend and sensei.

"Ah, good, we can get started. Ichigo-kun, would you help me spread the blanket?"

Ichigo blinked at Ukitake's sudden chirpy tone. "Oh. Ah, sure." Moving his guitar to lie next to Zangetsu by the tree, Ichigo unfolded the blanket as Ukitake smoothed out the corners and started setting out dishes. As the other two arrived, Ichigo stepped back, hoping to be able to just sneak away.

After the trio greeted each other, Ukitake turned to Ichigo and patted the empty corner of the blanket. "It ok Ichigo-kun, Yamamoto-sensei won't bite." Ichigo managed a small smile as Yamamoto watched the child step closer, setting a peculiar instrument behind him. Strange that the boy that had turned his thirteen court squads on its ear and faced down the 'lost captains' without blinking was acting, dare he say, nervous. Silently, Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"Having problems, boy?" The old man asked, taking a saké saucer from his older student with a nod.

"N-no, Sou-taichou." Ichigo almost-mumbled, not able to make eye contact with the ancient man.

"Hmm…what is it you youngsters call me? Yama-jii? If you wish, at this time, the name is acceptable. In the barracks address me properly, but here you may say as you wish." The boy blushed, and Yamamoto gave a grandfatherly pat to his head.

"Yes Sou… Yama-jii." Ichigo gave a wry smirk and relaxed a little.

"If you wish, Ichigo-kun, you can continue your practice. You were playing beautifully earlier." Ukitake smiled, as Shunsui offered Ichigo a saucer of saké as well.

"Ah, thanks, but I'm not old enough to drink." Ichigo shook his head, pulling his guitar around into his lap.

"Nonsense, Ichigo-kun. If you're old enough to slay hollows, you're old enough to drink. Even Toushirou-kun indulges in a cup once in a while." Sighing, Ichigo took the saucer and placed it by his knee, not thoroughly convinced. If Kyouraku-san was using Toushirou as an example, Rangiku-san likely drove the kid to it.

Strumming a few chords, Ichigo listened as the older men spoke of miscellaneous things, ranging from their lieutenants to the upcoming visit to the academy. "Ichigo-kun, how are you doing? I heard you were still in school?" Ukitake turned, drawing the boy into the conversation;

Surprised to be asked, Ichigo paused in his playing before responding. "I'm in my last year of high school."

"And then what?" Kyouraku-san asked, taking a sip of his saké, "Any plans for after you finish?"

"I… don't know. I was planning on moving out and going to college for something, but I don't know any more."

"How about the Shinigami Academy then? If you don't know what you would want to do in the human world yet, you can do some classes at the academy until you figure it out."

Ichigo nodded, not really convinced. "I don't really know what I would learn that I haven't learned already."

"The last report I recall spoke of no indication of using Kido." Yama-jii spoke up and Ichigo winced.

"They tried teaching me." Sighing in frustration, he strummed a few chords, "I've never seen two grown men cry before, let alone Hachi-san and Tessai-san. After a while we pretty much gave up."

Ukitake raised a surprised eyebrow and Kyouraku gave a surprised chuckle. "I guess even prodigies have their road blocks."

"Prodigy? I learned what I had to. I'm not that smart."

"Slaying a hollow within seconds of gaining your powers where most have had at least six years of academy. Bankai in three days where one hundred years is expedient. And your… Fullbring, is it? In mere weeks as well." Yamamoto listed off. "Shunpo is more than proficient; Zanjutsu is within a reasonable level; Hakuda, leadership skills. And on top of everything else, you have won a war while maintaining your grades." Yamamoto listed off, carefully watching the boy's reaction. "All wonderful qualities to look for in a leadership position in the Gotei thirteen. Kido, politics and Seireitei history would also be preferred, but as we know, those can be negotiable." Yamamoto turned away to partake in his meal, hiding his knowing look from the paling boy.

Ukitake took pity on the boy and smiled gently. "I remember now where I have seen your instrument before. I believe Lieutenant Hisagi-kun brought one back a number of years ago. If you and he have the time, you would likely find you both have quite a bit in common. What is the name of the piece you were just playing?"

Ichigo blushed, "Chad wrote it, you'd have to ask him. I think it's something like 'Del Toro' or 'El Toro de…' something. It's about this bull that wants to be like a butterfly he's seen." Ichigo shrugged and kept playing, humming quietly a secondary part.

"Does anyone else in your family play?"

Ichigo shook his head, "Dad couldn't sit still long enough to learn, Karin would rather be outside playing Soccer and Yuzu has a pretty voice, but she's too shy to sing in front of anyone." He paused for a moment to change songs. "I once caught her singing while she was making breakfast. She didn't talk to me for a week after."

"Ah, young pride. Such a fragile thing. Were you teasing her about it?"

"NO," Ichigo gave a wide-eyed stare, "I didn't say anythi-Ow! _Damnit_." Ichigo muttered, pulling his finger back. One of the strings on the guitar broke. With one hand, Ichigo pulled his case over and opened a small pouch on the side, retrieving a small plastic baggie while the other, injured, hand went to his mouth to absently soothe the sting. Inside the baggie were several smaller baggies with coils of wires in different thicknesses. Sorting through the labeled baggies, Ichigo growled at himself and picked up the one empty baggie in the batch, labeled with the string that he needed. "I need to ask Chad what brand he uses. His never seem to break." He muttered to himself, inspecting the broken ends before deftly pulling them off, tossing the broken string into the case. Grumbling about incomplete chords, Ichigo strummed the remaining wires, not liking the sound it produced. It would do, but the chord was unbalanced. Muttering a short phrase under his breath, Ichigo hoped that the elder Taicho wouldn't notice as he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, producing a fine thread of energy, of which he then strung into the bridge. He ran his fingers end to end several more times until he was satisfied with the thickness before lacing it into the tuner. All this took a matter of moments.

"All I asked was if she wanted help with breakfast." Ichigo shrugged, tuning the energy string like he would the metal wire it looked like.

"Fascinating." Shunsui murmured.

"Not really. I can cook when I have to, like when Yuzu is over at a friend's house or mad at me." Ichigo replied, not looking up. If he would have, he would have seen the three captain's exchange impressed looks.

"I amend what I said about Kido," Yamamoto commented, more curious than impressed. It had been a long time since he had last seen a student master the parody of a difficult bakudo with such finesse before learning the basics.

"What?" Ichigo blinked, then shook his head, "No, it's closer to Fullbring… I think. Just ask Rukia, I can't do traditional kido."

"From what I know, you've never been 'one to follow tradition'." Kyouraku smirked, sipping from his saucer.

"The young are to learn from tradition and their elders to find their own future." Yamamoto spoke up, picking up a morsel. "Some of our young ones have yet to learn that traditions can change."

"Like Byakuya-kun. He lives like he is far older than he really is." Kyouraku turned back to Ichigo with an ironic smile. "Speaking of tradition, the usual question is 'can you perform Bankai,' but I believe the more prudent question here is, 'can you actually seal your sword.' It is a bit unwieldy to carry around so casually, is it not?"

"Ah…" Ichigo blinked and turned to where Zangetsu leaned against the tree. "It's always been his decision."

_All you needed was to ask, Ichigo_, Zangetsu spoke into his mind, _although after all this time, a little incentive would not be unwelcome._

"Like wha-oh." He felt his Zanpakutou's non-substantial eyes fall on the saucer of saké by his knee. Holding the dish out to his Zanpakutou, Ichigo sighed. "If you become a drunkard, I know who to blame." He shot a sideways look at Kyouraku as his sword transformed into an older man in a tattered black coat.

"Thank you, Ichigo." Zangetsu bobbed his head and removed his sunglasses. Handing them to the boy, he took the offered saucer and savored a sip. "I had heard wonderful things about your saké, Shunsui-Taicho, and I am pleased to say that Senbonzakura-san was not exaggerating.

"Thank you, Zangetsu-dono. I'm glad to hear that I meet your expectations." Kyouraku grinned, gladly topping off Zangetsu's saucer.

Looking over, Zangetsu couldn't help the fond expression that settled on his face. Ichigo was casually inspecting the sunglasses, taking in the simple design of the accessory with a mixture of curiosity and peeve. "You never needed to physically carry me around, Ichigo. Like your mask, you can summon me and I would be there." Zangetsu smirked as the boy held up the glasses to look though the lenses, determining them more fashion than function. "But a little physical reminder never hurt."

Ichigo gave his Zanpakutou a look. "Great, now I look like I'm part of that men's club.

"Your school counselor said that you needed to join a club anyway, did he not? That would be the perfect opportunity." Settling into his normal scowl, Ichigo perched the glasses on top of his head, where they were half-hidden by the forest of orange spikes.

"I _preferred_ the going-home club." Ichigo grumbled, striking up a new tune on the guitar. "That counselor was an idiot anyway, saying that I was faking my job and wouldn't get anywhere in life until I had my hair grow out into a more _natural_ color. The guy threatened to help me by shaving it off!" Ichigo growled, pulling at one of his forelocks in the process.

Kyouraku sputtered into his drink, trying to stifle his laugh. "So that really is your natural color, eh?"

Ichigo gave the man a tired look. "Yachiru's hair is naturally pink, Toushirou and Ukitake-san's is white, Nel and Grimmjow's were green and blue respectively and you're questioning my orange being natural or not." Ichigo sighed and gave a helpless shrug, "Yeah, sure, why not?"

"It's not unknown for humans your age to change their hair color," Ukitake attempted to soothe ruffled feathers, "Most of us assumed that you had too."

Zangetsu hid his amused smirk behind the last of his saké. "Thank you for the saké Shunsui-Taicho, but I believe I should quit while I am ahead," he gave the man a nod and set the saucer back by Ichigo's knee before fading back into his own world. He knew that he would be hearing the rest of his charge's woes tonight, and for that, it would be best to be sober.

As the spirit faded, Kyouraku gave an amused look when what was left behind wasn't any sort of weapon, but the very glasses that Ichigo had perched on his head. "Tell Zangetsu-dono that he is welcome to come and drink any time you visit."

"Yeah, I'll tell him." Ichigo dismissed, focusing on his chords. Frowning, he strummed a shingle chord, then another that sounded minutely different until he found one that he liked before continuing on with the song.

Yamamoto should have been surprised when the zanpakutou sealed itself, but he really wasn't. The boy seemed to mock tradition in every way that he could, and then some. A traditional sealed sword looked like a katana and only the length varied, as well as the energy level output. _Normally_ shikai was a good five times stronger than when sealed, but the boy's natural levels barely dropped an iota. "What is your release command, boy?" He asked, but it came out like more of a command, which Ichigo started to answer before his brain caught up.

"Ma-" The boy blinked, paused, shook his head and chuckled, "What would you think it would be? It's 'Mamoru.' That's why I fight, to 'protect'."

"Appropriate enough, eh Shunsui?" Ukitake chuckled, and then shivered as a cool wind passed by and rattled the tree they sat under. "Ichigo-kun, I was wondering if you had anything warmer to wear with your uniform? Fall is fast approaching and it will be getting colder out." He asked, digging around in the bottom of the picnic basket.

Ichigo shrugged, "I was just going to wear a shirt under my uniform when it got cold enough."

"Unacceptable." Yamamoto rumbled.

"Yes," Kyouraku agreed, a gleam in his eyes, "I don't think that would quite work, Ichigo-kun."

"I think that this would work much better." Ukitake smiled, pulling a white bundle from the depths of the basket. "Here, try this on." He handed over the bundle which was folded in a way to proudly display the English '15' in the traditional captain's diamond.

Ichigo sat silent, staring, tracing the one, then the five. "I can't take this." He finally sputtered out, trying to shove it back into Ukitake's arms. "It's a captain's haori, isn't it? I can't take it. All the positions are filled and, and I'm still alive." Pure panic flooded his eyes. "I'm just a Daiko, thank you, but no."

Shunsui grinned as he stage whispered into Yamamoto's ear. "See, I said that he wouldn't take it." Embarrassment flamed the boy's face as he sat the haori down on the picnic blanket as far out of reach as he could go without reaching and looking completely rude.

Yamamoto nodded at his older student and gestured at the haori. "Indulge an old man, Kurosaki, and try it on before giving it back. If this was a captain's test, you have passed in multiple ways. Nearly every captain has recommended you and you have beaten several, including Aizen, in full contest; as well as exceeding expectations when being interviewed by three senior captains. Any other circumstance and that would be an actual captain's haori."

"If you wish," Ukitake unfolded the haori and draped it over Ichigo's shoulders, "Think of it as a training haori."

"Yeah," Shunsui added on, "you get the pay, might as well look the part."

"Pay?" Ichigo choked, "I've been getting _paid_ this whole time?"

Ukitake nodded. "Not the entire time, but especially after your daring rescue of Rukia-chan. A lieutenant's stipend is, surprisingly, not much, but the hollow bounties you've accumulated have more than made up for it."

"Lieutenant's pay?" Ichigo's brows furrowed, absently tugging the haori on. "But…"

"At first, I was paying you as my subordinate. On paper, you were unofficially 'JousanbanKurosaki-fukutaicho'."

"Then Rukia-chan was finally promoted." Shunsui spoke up.

"Yes," Ukitake nodded. The girl had been his lieutenant in everything except title and pay for years now; only her brother being resistant to the promotion. "And I already had two sanzeki. The other captains protested."

"So it was either _pro_motion or _de_motion." Shunsui grinned, "And you've done too much already to not get paid for it."

"Oh." Ichigo fingered the silky fabric of the haori, feeling the difference between it and the rough weave of his shihakushou. "I do it because I have to."

"Humility is a good quality in a leader; the young ones did well to recognize it in you." Yamamoto spoke, seeing the captain that this boy would grow to become. The title was still too grand, like a kimono too large, but he would fill out in time, like another young one he watched closely. "By accepting the Captain's Haori, you are accepting the responsibility of the temporarily-sanctioned 'Jougobantai (squad fifteen).' You are responsible for the communication between Seireitei and the humans under your care, as well as all shinigami transferred to the Karakura-cho area on temporary assignment."

Ichigo nodded seriously, taking in what the Sou-taichou listed as his responsibilities. _waitaminute_ "Isn't that what I was doing already?" he asked drily, to which Yamamoto nodded.

"You will also be assigned liaison tasks when needed and will be expected to come when summoned to captain's meetings and report your progress."

"Yeah, I figured. But in the meantime, I'm still a Daiko and a free agent." Ichigo was adamant on the fact. "You can ask for my help, but I reserve the right to say no if I don't like your order."

Ukitake hid a smile behind his hand and Yamamoto suppressed a sigh with a certain look. "I have come to expect no different. And the loyalty you inspired while doing so is… disconcerting."

Shunsui snorted, laughing into his saké. "If you're not careful, Yama-jii, the kid could pull the rug right from under your feet. He nearly did it too when he went to Hueco Mundo to rescue one of his nakama."

Ichigo gave a sour look. "I never intended to, nor do I ever want to. I didn't ask anyone to help that time. Karakura's enough to try to protect, all of Soul Society… No, thank you."

"And that is why, Ichigo-kun, your responsibilities while alive are mostly what you have been doing already. Learn, grow, and by the time a position will be open for you, you will be more than ready."

"You hope." Ichigo muttered darkly, biting into a sweet bun.

"Oh, you're already ready; you just could use a little polishing that most new captains don't get to have. Might I suggest in the interim taking some classes at the academy and learning some reiatsu -suppressing techniques? You don't want your subordinates' passing out in your very presence now, do you?" Shunsui chuckled.

"Might I also suggest going around to the different divisions and seeing how each runs." Ukitake added, "I know for a fact that every one of us views our training and responsibilities differently. My division, for example, is run like a family, where we all support each other to do our best. Shunsui's division leans toward women for some reason."

"I believe that there's not enough support for strong female shinigami. I was actually the first division outside of fourth to accept female officers." Shunsui grinned, taking another sip. Seriously, Ichigo thought the guy was on his fourth bottle or something and was barely even tipsy. The womanizing drunk.

"My division focuses on administration." Yamamoto spoke at last. "We only have a handful of new recruits each year based on written scores, not necessarily fighting prowess. I would suggest learning how to file a proper report when visiting the First."

Ichigo nodded, playing quietly as he listened to the senior trio and their assessment of the different squads work ethic (or lack thereof) and atmosphere. Personally, he didn't believe their assessment of the Eleventh for the most part. Yeah, it was a bit crass and atypical, but it worked in a dysfunctional family sort of way. Actually, it almost reminded him of his own family in a way. True, Zaraki left most of the paperwork to Yumichika, but it still got done and filed. And there was a reason why the eleventh hailed one of the largest number counts, and it had to do with a phrase he had heard while recovering once. It went something along the lines of 'once in Eleventh, always in Eleventh. We've seen you at your best and worst blah, blah, blah.' Then again, Kyouraku was pretty accurate to say that they were either fighting or drinking, if not both.

Ichigo smiled to himself, remembering the day that Ikkaku told him that he'd been adopted into the Eleventh. It was after he had beaten most of the lower seats in a free-for-all brawl and was slumped against the man, nursing respective shiners… Ikkaku's noticeably shinier than his. Huffing out a tired laugh, he patted Ichigo's injured shoulder. "Welcome to the Eleventh, kid. When you get old enough, we owe ya a welcoming drink." That was as close to open acceptance as he had gotten.

Then again, now that he thought about it, he had been adopted into a few squads. Tenth (after Toushirou finally accepted that he was never going to be called by his proper title), Sixth (through Rukia and Renji mostly), Fourth (he didn't exactly know how, but word had gotten around that he was a doctor's son, so ended up helping patching up some Eleventh division members one time), Eleventh (for being the cause of said wounds) and Thirteenth (Ukitake-san just had a habit of adopting anyone under the physical age of 30, no matter the squad. Or, really, anyone that thought he needed someone to talk to or something to do.).

"Oh, that's nice." Shunsui commented in general, watching as the sunset burst into a multitude of colors. "Good food, good company, war isn't looming over our heads like a storm cloud, and music. Yama-jii, did you bring your flute, by any chance?"

Yamamoto shook his head, "I did not believe I had a reason to. Children's music has changed so much since my day, there is no possibility for our music to blend even if I did." At that, Ichigo switched to the oldest piece he knew. Actually, it was originally a piece for the Biwa (a lute-like instrument) that he had modified to fit better on the guitar.

"Ah, Shunsui listen, is that what I think it is?" Ukitake asked excitedly, tugging on his friend's sleeve.

"I… Believe it is." He hummed, setting down his saucer. "I, the last time I heard that song was in the old capital. Her name was Koyuki. 'The sweet Chrysanthemum blooms as the waves toss their silvery mane…'" The man hummed along with the guitar, nearly lost in the sweet near-forgotten memories. "Where did you learn that song, Ichigo-kun?"

"I was asked to help clean out this lady's house after she passed and the granddaughter was going to throw away this box of old stuff." Ichigo shrugged, switching to another song. "Apparently the woman used to be a geisha and recorded all of her music on paper, and I convinced the lady to give it to me. I like the challenge the music has."

"I think you're playing it wonderfully." Ukitake complimented while Ichigo shook his head in disagreement.

"It's rough. I wouldn't want to play it in front of anyone for a while."

"Acceptable. Unlike your fighting ability, you take time to master your skill set before performing musically." Ichigo flushed, biting back his retort to the Sou-taichou. It wasn't like he had the time to perfect any of his skills before being forced into using them on the battlefield.

"Ah, Ichigo-kun, are you staying the night? I have an empty room in the barracks for you any time." Ichigo looked up and grimaced, seeing the sun fully set

"No, thank you this time, Ukitake-san. I already stayed longer than I should. I should get going before dad throws a conniption."

Ukitake nodded. "Understandable. Tell Isshin hello for us."

"And that I owe him a drink!" Shunsui chuckled, hoisting his saucer in a salute.

"You owe him three, apparently." Ukitake murmured.

"Three?" Shunsui yelped, eyeing the carrot top, "There's more like him?"

Catching on, Ichigo gave the captains a wide grin and tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, the twins. Karin's a tough cookie, but Yuzu takes after our mother." He said with all the brotherly pride he could muster. "They're my reason for fighting. Even more so since they just started Middle School." Ichigo froze for a moment before shaking off his thought. Ukitake raised a questioning eyebrow. "It's nothing. I just realized that the girls are thirteen now. I need to head home." He finished putting away his guitar and attached the strap to the case's outside.

"Taicho!" a feminine voice called from the distance. Grimacing, Kouraku pulled his hat lower over his eyes. "There you are! You've been out here drinking again, haven't you?" There was no question, just a bald-faced statement of truth.

"But of course, my lovely Nanao-chan. What would be a celebration without a little saké?"

"Celebra-oh." Nanao stepped back and gave a respectful –if brief- bow. "Congratulations, Kurosaki-Taicho, on your promotion."

"Uh… it's Ichigo, please." He murmured, absently adjusting his guitar strap. "I should really get going now. Thank you for the offer, but I have to think about it first." Ichigo turned to leave, but then looked over his shoulder with a brilliant smile. "Nanao-san, if you want, you can have my saké. I don't drink, so it would be a waste otherwise."

"H-hai, thank you!" She dipped into another bow to hide her flustered face. She had heard that the boy rarely smiled. If he smiled more, he would surely give Byakuya a run for his title of Bachelor of the Year. She could already see why he was already high on the lists, but that smile! With it, he could win for sure!

She needed to call an emergency SWA meeting.

* * *

Back at home, Ichigo peeled off his new haori and tossed it onto his desk chair before sliding back into his human body with a small grimace. Slipping back into his body felt almost like too-tight pants, even more so since regaining his powers.

Sitting back up, Ichigo stared at the haori that spun gently where it hung off the back. Subconsciously, he hung it off the back of the chair so that the '15' was proudly displayed. The bottom hem barely brushed the floor while the sleeves fell to about four inches above the hem. A short jacket seemed almost appropriate for his new 'temporary' status, down to the smaller diamonds that dotted the edge.

A farce of a knock sounded out before Isshin slid in the door. "You're home." It was a statement of fact more than a greeting. "The girls were worried that you had disappeared again." In the past months 'serious Isshin' had shown his face more often, especially when shinigami business was brought up and after the girls had gone to bed.

"I needed time to think." Ichigo acquiesced to Isshin's silent request to speak and gave his father room to sit on the bed by crossing his legs. "Are the twins in bed?"

"They're studying." Isshin gestured to the haori sitting innocently on the chair back. "I take it the captains spoke to you?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yamamoto, Ukitake-san and Kyouraku-san said they were there to watch the sunset and that Unohana-san couldn't make it, so they had extra snacks." He paused a moment. "Unohana-san wasn't coming in the first place, was she? They meant to come find me today."

Isshin nodded with a proud smile. "It takes three captains to interview and present the prospective with their new haori. I'm surprised though, I thought it would be Toushirou-kun and Byakuya-bo. Joushiro was a given, seeing as he was the one who asked my permission through Kisuke." At Ichigo's blank look, Isshin thwapped his son on the back of his head. "While you live under my roof, you're still my responsibility, and until then things like _earning a captaincy_ and _marrying Rukia-chan_ will still need my blessing." At that, Isshin couldn't hold it in much longer. "Ichigo! My son is a Captain! Your mother would be so proud!"

Deftly dodging a tackle disguised as a hug, Ichigo jumped off his bed and snarled. "Damnit Old Man, I haven't even said yes yet!"

"But you will!" Isshin continued his attack with a side-kick, "and that's good enough cause to celebrate!" Rolling with the kick, Ichigo grabbed his father's leg and used the leverage to toss him into the wall.

Quickly recovering, Isshin grabbed the haori with one hand and deftly turned it inside-out, exposing the red lining. "But until then, you can wear it like _this_!" he crowed, managing to drape it over his son's shoulders, where it sunk through to settle on his spiritual body. "Night, son!" Isshin grinned brightly and shut the door behind himself before Ichigo could retaliate. His grin dropped and he quickly walked down to the clinic, where he would have some privacy to call his old friend.

"Urahara Shoten!" the proprietor himself answered after the second ring.

"Kisuke," Urahara frowned at the gravity in his friend's voice. "It's about Ichigo."

"Oh?" he tried to keep his tone light. "Has the prodigal son returned once again?"

"Aa, but that's not why I called. Ichigo needs an adjustment on his gigai."

"Gigai?" He could imagine Urahara fluttering his fan nervously. "I don't know what-"

"DON'T-" Isshin breathed and continued with his quieter voice. "Don't deny it Kisuke; you killed my son two years ago so that he could rescue Rukia-chan. And now his gigai will start to fail unless it's adjusted or he learns some control."

There was a pause over the line while Urahara gathered his thoughts. "That's what I feared. Do you want your son to know he's in a gigai or continue to believe he's still in the body he was born with? Either way, if we're not careful, we'll have an angry powerhouse on our hands."

"I know." Isshin sighed, "He's going to find out eventually, but until then, I'll find a way to get him to leave his gigai at your shop. How long would you need?"

"Depending on the damage, it could take an hour or all weekend." Isshin nodded and looked in the direction of his son's fluxing reiatsu. "Next weekend then. I'll bring up staying weekends in Seireitei so that he can learn how to be a captain."

"Ah, so he got the promotion then!" Urahara perked up. "Then congratulations are in order!"

Isshin nodded. "I thought Yoruichi would have told you already."

"She did, but it's much more satisfying from the horse's mouth, so to speak. So, until Tuesday?"

"Aa," Isshin confirmed. "I'll be there around seven." With that, Isshin hung up, checked on his children's reiatsu signatures one last time, and went to bed.

* * *

"Ichigo…" the whisper came from the back of his mind and he took the cue to sink into his inner world. Opening his eyes, the buildings remained how he was used to them being, at least before the final battle with Aizen all those months ago. Standing on the smooth glass window, he saw the ground to his right, hundreds of feet away, and the tops of the buildings stretched incredibly far to his left, breaking the surface of the flood that still filled his world. Beyond the surface he could see sunlight on the other side, making the water glitter.

"The flood is receding." Zangetsu spoke from behind Ichigo, floating on the subtle current. "Please see that it continues to do so." Ichigo nodded, staring at the surface as if mesmerized.

"At least the rain stopped." He murmured, kicking off to float beside Zangetsu for a moment before swimming towards that teasing barrier between water and air. It seemed to take hours before he was able to touch the surface. Landing, he pressed his hand against the barrier and passed through into the sunlight. As soon as he did so, the world righted itself back to what he was used to. While swimming, there was no up or down, just that shimmering barrier to surpass. Sitting down, he allowed the sun to warm his back as he looked around. The sky was clear overhead with only the odd cloud passing by the sun, but on the horizon, storm clouds brewed, promising the deluge that would happen if he was not careful.

"I never said yes." He finally spoke, staring at Zangetsu's watery visage reflected in the choppy waters, the stiff wind cooling his moist skin.

"But you will." Zangetsu spoke, standing slightly behind Ichigo and to the right. "They know that and you know that."

"Yeah, I will." He nodded silently. "I just don't think I'm ready yet."

"There is no great hurry, Ichigo. But it is also a great honor. The shinigami and your nakama are already aware of your leadership qualities and follow without question."

"But I never asked them to follow. And when I tell them not to; they still come." Ichigo grew frustrated and Zangetsu nodded sagely.

"At times it is he who speaks first that is followed." He tilted his head slightly, "And instinct marks you a leader among men."

"And I should follow my instincts." Ichigo sighed, he had yet to see his hollow, but his presence always tickled the back of his mind. "Within reason." He amended. As much as it was tempted, he would not pin Renji every time the pineapple did something stupid.

Zangetsu hummed in amusement, having heard the errant thought. "True. And now sleep. You have homework to finish before class." With a small grimace, Ichigo nodded and closed his eyes.

* * *

Fourteen pages! This is what I get for writing stories in non-standard sized notebooks while I'm stuck with nothing else to do. Right now, I have the second chapter written and the third on the way… but getting them typed up is another matter altogether. I make no promises for updating regularly, but I will honestly try!

Ja ne!

Dark Inu Fan


	2. Mother

Disclaimer: Yeah, you think I'd be paid minimum wage if I had an international bestselling manga? Yeah, me either.

Chapter 2: _Mother_

Last time:

"At times it is he who speaks first that is followed." He tilted his head slightly, "And instinct marks you a leader among men."

"And I should follow my instincts." Ichigo sighed, he had yet to see his hollow, but his presence always tickled the back of his mind. "Within reason." He amended. As much as it was tempted, he would not pin Renji every time the pineapple did something stupid.

Zangetsu hummed in amusement, having heard the errant thought. "True. And now sleep. You have homework to finish before class." With a small grimace, Ichigo nodded and closed his eyes.

* * *

This time:

"And this is the academy…Ichigo-kun?" Ukitake had taken upon himself to give the shinigami-daiko an official tour around the Seireitei. Before then, the boy had been practically stumbling around blind, lucky that he could find anything within a reasonable amount of time. And now the boy had disappeared off somewhere. "Ichigo-kun?" Being next to the sekkiseki wall, his senses were somewhat muted. Finally looking up, Ukitake was surprised to find the boy kneeling on the wall, looking in. Surprised, mostly, that the youth could withstand touching the wall so casually. Then again, that would also explain why his reiatsu had all-but disappeared.

Jumping up to join the boy on the wall, Ukitake studied Ichigo's expression for a moment. "Would you like a tour of the inside?" Shaking his head distractedly, Ichigo jumped down inside the courtyard and stood in the shade of a nearby tree.

Following the boy's line of sight, all he saw was a student with strawberry blonde hair pulled up in a reasonable knot. Curious, Ukitake sat down to watch what would happen. If he remembered correctly, the woman was a first-year student that was showing some promise. She had shown up in the lower districts about two years ago and almost immediately came for the academy testing. He believed her name started with a 'Ma-'something.

She turned the page and sighed impatiently. "Ichigo-kun, are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to come and say hello?" She called out, putting down her book. In his mind's eye, Ukitake recalled the strange combination of love and apprehension that colored the boy's face. The boy's aura, which had been suppressed to nearly the point of nonexistence, flared in brief surprise before reigning in once again. Ukitake suspected that Ichigo had some semblance of control, but this was better than he expected. And it also proved that the youth just never bothered to control himself.

Stepping forward, Ichigo choked on his words, wanting to say everything and nothing at the same time. Putting her book into her student's bag, she stood up and smiled gently, "Ichigo, how you've grown."

"Mom." Ah, yes, now he remembered. Her name was Kurosaki Masaki. Isshin's reason for leaving the Thirteen Court Squads and, he realized now, Ichigo's mother. Stepping forward, Ichigo touched her face. She leaned into his embrace and the boy crumpled, burying his face in the crook of her neck and soaking her collar. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _I'm sorry_." He murmured, biting sobs.

Masaki couldn't help but start to cry as well, stroking her son's hair, whispering reassurances. The pair collapsed to their knees, only the two of them mattering. Honestly, Ukitake felt like a voyeur, but he would stay behind to make sure their reunion stayed uninterrupted. Speaking of interruptions, the class bell chose that moment to peal. Pulling away slightly, Masaki gave her son an apologetic look. "Ichigo-kun, I'm sorry, but I have to get back to classes."

"Nonsense, Kurosaki-san." Ukitake jumped down from the wall and scooped up Masaki's class bag. "I would believe this is a fine excuse as any to take the afternoon off. Come, I will sign you out for the day." Ukitake internally grimaced, he sounded like Shunsui for a minute there. What did they say about time and picking up others' traits again? "Ichigo-kun, if you would be so kind, would you carry your mother's bag for her?"

"Sure" he nodded dumbly, scrubbing his eye with a sleeve as discreetly as possible. As much of an adult Ichigo acted most of the time, Ukitake remembered just how much of a child he actually was. If he would have grown up in the spirit world, he would be even younger than Yachiru-chan. That was far too soon to be separated from one's mother and fighting wars.

Opening the door to the office, Ukitake allowed the two Kurosaki to enter first. "Ukitake-sensei!" The office clerk chirped, springing up and giving a respectful bow. "What brings you in today?"

Ukitake smiled and gestured for the secretary to relax. "I was giving Ichigo-kun here a tour and we happened to run across his mother." He gestured to Ichigo and Masaki respectively, "And I was wondering if it would be too much to ask for Kurosaki-san to be released from her afternoon classes?"

"Oh! Of course, I'll pass along the message to her teachers."

"Thank you Sora-chan." Ukitake bowed and ushered the two out. "Now that that's taken care of, I believe it's time for lunch. Is there anything in particular you would like, Ichigo-kun, Kurosaki-san?" Masaki shook her head, citing that she was just on her lunch break before turning to Ichigo.

"Curry?" he asked slyly, ducking his head. Masaki laughed and swung their linked hands.

"Curry is still my little Strawberry's favorite dish, eh?" She smiled, giving her son a peek on the cheek. Or at least tried to, seeing as he was now quite taller than he used to be. After a moment, he leaned down and accepted his kiss, letting her hang on his neck for another moment or two.

"I know this is nice little restaurant in district five that serves the best curry, from what I've been told. Now would be a good time to find if those rumors are true, would it not?" Ukitake smiled, turning to lead away. "Kurosaki-san, have you learned flash steps yet? District five is quite the walk and we'd get there much faster with hakuda." She shook her head and Ichigo grinned. Scooping his mother up, he only told her to 'hold on tight' before racing after Ukitake. He would never admit it, but he missed the speed that came with flash steps.

All too soon, they reached the market/restaurant district and decided to walk the rest of the way. To the left of the main street and down a few alleyways, Ukitake pushed aside a nondescript shoji door and ushered the two in. Inside was tastefully decorated in medium-toned woods and the odd decoration or two. The overall feel was like stepping into someone's kitchen. This time of day, the restaurants held mostly merchants with only the odd shinigami on their day off.

"Ukitake-taichou, its been a while." The young patron grinned, lugging a bin of dishes. "Give me a minute and I'll be right with you!" Nodding in return, Ukitake ushered his guests to a table. Sooner than the younger two expected, they were presented with tea and a handwritten menu.

"The usual Ukitake-taichou? And would your friends like more time or have you already told them what's good?"

"My usual would be nice, than you Nasaki-san." Ukitake nodded, sipping his tea. "And you Ichigo-kun, does the curry still interest you, or has something else caught your eye?" Although everything looked good, Ichigo would stick with the curry during this outing. He would have to remember how to get here.

"Curry's fine. Thank you Ukitake-san."

"I'll stay with my tea this time, Thank you." Masaki smiled at Nasaki and took a sip from the cup she had cradled in her hands. Nodding, the ageless man glided back into the kitchen. "So, my little Strawberry," Masaki put her tea down. "How is the rest of my _fruit bowl_ of a family," her face fell momentarily, "Or do you know?"

Ichigo shook his head and gave his mother a genuine smile. "I saw them this morning. This," he plucked at his shihakushou, "Is a part-time job, (one of them, at least) but I'm still in high school. Hmm…" his brow furrowed, trying to figure out where to start. "The twins started Jr. High a few months ago. Karin is a lot like Tatsuki, just with soccer and Yuzu… takes after you. She found a lot of your recipes after… yeah." It was just good timing that the food showed up when it did. Picking up his hashi, Ichigo poked at his curry before picking it up and took a bite.

"And your father?" Masaki asked gently, pleasantly surprised when a bowl of rice and pickled vegetables made it to her space. The owner gave her a wink and mouthed that it was on the house. Last was Ukitake with a bowl full of farmer's stew that he fully enthralled himself in, letting the two continue uninterrupted.

"As crazy as ever." Ichigo smirked, popping another piece of chicken in his mouth. "He put up this huge poster in the living room and wails at it whenever one of us do anything."

"Like?" Masaki prodded gently, already having an idea.

"When Yuzu cooks a new dish. Karin winning one of her matches, when I'm late for dinner. When one of us beats one of his sneak attacks…"

"When you went out and started saving the world?" Masaki asked gently. "Did he train you to be a shinigami? Do the girls know?"

"No," Ichigo shook his head; a soft smile on his face after the spike of alarm ran its course. Of course Masaki would know about Isshin's past as a shinigami. "I didn't know about Dad until I had been doing the shinigami-daiko thing for almost half a year. I told him that I would wait until he wanted to tell me anything. I know that Karin knows, and I think she's been getting some casual training from Geta-Boshi, but I don't know about Yuzu. Last I knew, she could sense them but not see them. Then again, nobody has really talked to me about it in a while. All I know, Yuzu could be taking lessons as well." Ichigo let out a tense breath, frustrated that he had been all but useless these past months.

"Karin… is that the dark-haired twin that caught Shiro-chan's attention?" Ukitake asked politely. "I believe it's because of her that he has a ball in his office decorated with black pentagons."

"He does?" Ichigo shook his head in amused disbelief.

"He does!" A flamboyantly husky voice exclaimed, matching with a pair of arms that smashed the back of his head into a prominent pair of breasts. "Toushirou-kun gets so embarrassed when I catch him playing with it.

"Hello Rangiku-san." Ichigo scowled out into space, not willing or able to move his head to either side. "Please let go."

"What did I tell you, call me Rangiku-chan!" She pouted, sitting in the unoccupied fourth chair. "Mou," She looked around the table and spotted an academy student. "Ichigo-kun, are you cheating on Rukia-chan?" The boy quickly turned purple from a combination of choking on his rice and the blush that threatened to invade up to his ears.

Masaki calmly handed her son his tea and rubbed his back until he stopped coughing. "Who is Rukia, Ichigo-kun?" She asked sweetly, "Will I get to meet her?"

Ukitake took mercy on the suffering boy and shook his head in amusement. "Rukia-chan is my fukutaicho, Kurosaki-san, and your son's liaison to soul society."

"We're not dating." He growled to both ladies sitting to his left. "And yeah, you'll meet her sooner than later." His face softening when he spoke to his mother. "I'm having dinner with Byakuya and Rukia. I don't think they'd mind you coming too." What he didn't mention was that she would likely make the night less stressful. Dinner with Byakuya was generally something to be avoided.

"That sounds lovely. I can't wait to meet _your friends_." She gave a strange inflection at the end of her sentence that Ichigo caught and cringed at.

"Aa. Mom, this is Matsumoto Rangiku, fukutaicho of the tenth division. And Ukitake Juushiro-Taicho was the one that got you out of afternoon classes." He gestured to each in turn. "Rangiku-san, this is my mother, Kurosaki Masaki…"

"Second year student, advanced track." Masaki bowed her head before turning back to her son. "My, Ichigo, you seem to have quite a few high-ranking friends."

"Yes he does!" Rangiku gave Ichigo another hug. "Mou, do you know _anyone_ lower ranked?'

Ichigo gave a blank look, thinking. "… Hanatarou… I think he was a seventh seat when I met him." Ichigo shrugged. "Ikkaku and Yumichika are third and fifth seats. And I know quite a few guys in eleventh…"

"They don't count." Matsumoto deadpanned before lighting up and pounding her fist into her other hand. "Ah, Ichigo-kun, are you coming next weekend?"

"What's next weekend?"

"The fall festival, silly!" Rangiku giggled. "A bunch of us will be camping on Sokyokuhill to watch fireworks."

"Shiba?"

"Of course! What other fireworks would there be?" Ichigo nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing at his mother.

"Yeah, I'll see if I can come. I want to catch up with those two anyway. Ukitake-san, can I call in a favor?" he nodded that he was listening. "Would it be possible to get a few day-passes for that day?"

"Ooh! I'll vouch for Orihime!" Rangiku bounced in her seat with her hand raised like she was in class.

"I guess I'll ask the guys if they want to come too, but I was thinking more for Karin and Yuzu. It would be a good time to introduce them to Seireitei and get their levels tested, just in case."

"Ah!" Masaki got an idea. "Ichigo-chan, are you going home tonight or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I promised to help Hisagi with some drills for his squad."

"Ah, good. Do you think you can give Isshin a letter for me?... He does have his powers back by now, right?" She asked, dead serious.

"Yeah. I can pick it up before I leave." Ichigo didn't quite know how to feel, being a messenger service between his parents, but at least he didn't have to read the thing.

"I believe that I can acquire a few passes for your sisters, Ichigo-kun, but you should know by now that Inoue-chan, Yasutora-kun and Ishida-kun have a standing open pass to visit any time."

"Aa, I know," Ichigo looked something like he had bitten into a lemon, rubbing the faint scar at the back of his head. "But I would need a third day-pass for a … family friend. She's still sore about leaving her behind in Karakura and I want her tested as well."

"I see." Ukitake kept his face carefully blank, "And what is the name of your friend, Ichigo-kun?"

"Arisawa Tatsuki. She remained conscious during Ulquiorraand Yammy's attack, and was able to move around freely during the Karakura-cho battle."

"Ah!" Rangiku popped up. "The tomboy that was dragging along those other two boys. She was strong, I was impressed."

Ichigo nodded. "Keigo and Mizuiro."

"You don't want to test those two as well?" Ukitake asked, mentally reviewing what his reports had told him about the classmates.

Ichigo gave a constipated look. "They're my friends and have some awareness, but not enough to bother testing until they die." And he wanted to enjoy the festival, not have to wrangle those two nuisances the entire time. It would be bad enough with half of his friends drunk anyway.

Ukitake nodded. "Three passes then. I'll let you now by Friday if the requests go through."

"Thank you, Ukitake-san." He went back to his lunch with a relieved smile.

"It's so good to hear that you're still friends with Tatsuki-chan. Is she still making you cry at karate practice?" Masaki asked with such innocence that Ichigo ducked his head.

"No. I-ah… I stopped going to karate after I beat Tatsuki."

"Oh. I see." She remained carefully neutral, but he could feel the disappointment rolling off her in waves. Masaki had been Ichigo's biggest supporter when it came to martial arts. "And poor Tatsuki-chan?"

"Number two in Japan's Vale tudo tournament, women's division. She plans on taking number one in a few months as long as she doesn't break her arm on some idiot again."

"That's good. Tatsuki-chan has always been a bit… violent. I'm glad that she found a focus." Ichigo nodded in agreement. "So, tell me about your other friends, since I'm sure I'll be meeting at least some of them come next weekend." Ichigo nodded, finishing his lunch, contemplating who he should talk about first.

"First, there's Chad… Yasutora Sado. I found him – or he found me – because some punks had stolen the coin his Abuelo –his grandfather- had given him." Ichigo absently tapped where Chad's coin would lie. "He saved Karin from a hollow and that's when he got his powers. Inoue Orihime met Tatsuki in Middle School and she was more like her friend than mine until she got her powers. And Ishida Uryuu… I have no clue why I'm friends with that prick."

"Ishida?" Masaki perked up. "Any relation to Ryuken? I knew he had a son about your age."

"Yeah. Ishida-san gets our overflow patients when the clinic gets too full and Dad helps out when the hospital is short-staffed."

Masaki hummed and nodded, understanding what her son hadn't said. "I'm glad to see that those two get along still. I was afraid that they would end up pushing each other away. And it sounds like you and Uryuu-kun have turned out to be great friends."

Ichigo shook his head, his usual scowl creasing his eyes. "About as well as Inoue's cooking and my stomach." He muttered, glad that he had finished his lunch.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ichigo! Orihime's cooking is delicious. I do admit she does have a few strange combinations, but it's all good" Rangiku stood up for her human-world friend.

"No, thank you." Ichigo shuddered, sipping from his tea cup. "Why are you here, Rangiku-san?"

The woman giggled and waved her hand dismissively. "Its lunch time, Ichigo-kun, and this is one of the best restaurants around, didn't you know?"

"And Toushirou let you go? Or are you ducking your paperwork again?" Even Ichigo had heard of Rangiku's escapades in paper-dodging. All Rangiku's response was is to down the cup of saké she had ordered while Ukitake finished paying their bill.

"Speaking of paperwork, I believe it's time for us to move on. Enjoy your lunch, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." Ukitake easily excused them all with a polite bow. Outside, Ukitake turned to the Kurosaki duo with a smile, "I really do have paperwork to do and you have a dinner with the Kuchiki family to prepare for. Make sure your mother gets to her dorm safely tonight and I will tell my fukutaicho to expect another for dinner. Have fun children!" Ukitake smiled at Ichigo and gave a small bow to the Kurosaki matriarch before disappearing in a burst of shunpo.

"What a kind Taicho. I've heard the rumors, but he doesn't seem too sickly to me." Masaki observed, absently grabbing Ichigo's hand while the boy led the back to the main market street.

Ichigo nodded, acknowledging his mother's hand with a small squeeze before answering. "It's the symptoms for TB, but he's not contagious from what I can tell and it's not as fast-acting as most cases are. He's definitely having one of his better days though." Ichigo looked away to window shop, spotting a particular store. "If we're going to dinner at Byakuya's and the festival," he refused to say 'date with dad', "you need at least a yukata."

Masaki giggled as Ichigo pulled an elaborately fruit-themed yukata from the display rack. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly!" She held her hand over her mouth in near-delirious mirth.

"C'mon, try it on at least, please?" Ichigo held it out for Masaki to take, somehow finding a red strawberry-patterned obi to go along with it. The whole thing was loud and utterly ridiculous. Isshin would love it.

Soon enough, Masaki took the yukata and went into the back with an attendant. "Ok, but only because I can't say no to those puppy eyes of yours." She shot over her shoulder as the curtains closed. Now for some real shopping.

After a minute of browsing, Ichigo admitted defeat and looked over at the store owner, who was giving him the stink eye. "Ma'am…" deciding polite would be the best course of action, he bowed, "While my mother is trying on the yukata, I was wondering if you could help me find a better suited one for dinner. I'm introducing her to Kuchiki-Taicho and Kuchiki-fukutaicho at their house tonight." If there was one lesson he had learned, it's that the name 'Kuchiki' went far.

"Oh! My, that yukata simply won't do!" She commented, referring to the fruit-themed monstrosity. Hurrying over to some shelves, she grabbed several folded kimono before spreading them out on a nearby table. Nearly all of them had sakura in the pattern in some form or another.

Shaking his head, Ichigo silently rejected the displayed kimono. "I'm not trying to impress them, just introduce my mother to them as friends. I want something a little less… somber." Ichigo pulled out one on a whim and had to take a closer look. It had sprays of flowers in blues, pinks and purples on a background of periwinkle with embroidered fans that only showed when it caught the light just right. Overall, it was subtle with each flower being the size of his thumbnail or smaller, but still bright enough to reflect his mother's personality.

"Oh my, I forgot about that one." The proprietor's voice reflected silent awe. She wondered how she could steer him away from one of the more expensive kimono in the shop. The boy didn't look like he could afford lunch, let alone a yukata for his student of a 'mother.'

"That one is pretty." Masaki commented from behind Ichigo, "but not quite your color."

"Mom!" he spun around, futilely hiding the kimono on the table behind his back.

Stepping back, Masaki 'hmm'ed in amusement before spinning around. "How do I look?" The yukata had a background of white with each of the fruit life-sized and clustered in groups that included persimmons, watermelons, oranges and with tiny cherries and strawberries scattered in the empty spaces to give an overall 'pink' feel to it. The red-on-red obi just served to draw out the red fruits further.

The yukata still looked incredibly loud and _fruity_, but Masaki seemed to wear it well. "I think dad would like it." Ichigo smirked, "And I think that Yuzu has a hair clip that I don't think she wouldn't mind you using."

"Yes, but didn't you say that you were having dinner with Kuchiki-sama? That little yukata simply won't do. Here, your son picked out a kimono that is just lovely, don't you agree? And much more appropriate for the occasion." She held up the aforementioned garment and handed it to the attendant, giving Masaki a gentle push back into the fitting room "Now, wait here while I find an obi to match." She turned around to find the shinigami boy holding up a pale pink obi with wisteria sprays as the only decoration.

"Would this do?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose it would." She nodded, trying to hide her surprise. The boy had more sense than he let on.

"I have two little sisters and two of my best friends are girls. I get dragged to do shopping," Ichigo shrugged, "A lot."

"You still have more fashion sense than most men that get dragged in here." She said offhand and went to hand the obi to her assistant. She came back and eyed Ichigo up and down, the fruit yukata and obi tossed over her shoulder. "Now, what about you?"

"Eh?" was Ichigo's oh-so-intelligent reply as he gently took the obi and yukata and started folding it for the matron.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, shinigami-kun." She hovered, watching Ichigo fold the yukata with expert hands. "Are you going to wear your uniform to a dinner with Kuchiki-sama?"

"Yeah, I was planning to." Ichigo shrugged offhand and gave the folded yukata to the shopkeeper. "I'm going to get this one and the one mom's putting on, is that ok?"

Taking the yukata and obi back, she eyed the young man, seeing no markings of status. "And how will you be paying shinigami-san?"

"Oh, yeah. Do you take this?" Ichigo held up a card after digging through his sleeves, "Or will I have to use this?" he asked sheepishly. One card was the simple message that all Kuchiki-owned businesses should send the bill to Kuchiki Byakuya with his official seal, and the other was one that Ukitake had slipped him earlier, stating that it was his hollow bounties and lieutenant's-grade pay for his shinigami-daiko status.

"Oh. Oh, my. My apologies shinigami-san. I believe this will do fine." She nearly fainted, picking up the card from Byakuya. Ichigo shrugged and pocketed his pay card. The other had been a holiday gift from Byakuya and he was honestly surprised when he found that it hadn't been lost. "And who may I say the bill is from?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Masaki." If she was pale before, she was nearly faint now. Ichigo shrugged, not getting what the big deal was

"Kurosaki-san… as in the ryoka and hero of the winter war?"

Ichigo nodded, "I don't know about hero, but I did help some." It was weird, hearing that his name was known outside of the Seireitei. And being called a hero as well, that was blowing it out of proportion.

"Then, please, you need something appropriate to wear, especially for dinners. I'll give you a good price." She moved from where she had been packing away the yukata to draw him toward the men's patterns. "Should we go with a gold tone to draw out your eyes? Or a deep burgundy to give you some color?"

"Ma'am, I just wanted to get my mom something nice. My uniform is fine for me." It wouldn't do to lose his temper with Masaki right on the other side of a flimsy curtain.

"Nonsense. Ichigo-chan, you need something nice to wear." Masaki spoke up, pinching some fabric to feel the texture. "For me, please." Masaki made eye contact with her son.

3…

2…

1…

"Fine."

"Wonderful!" Masaki, like her son, practically ignored the lady's suggestions after giving them a cursory glance. "My boy looks so handsome in black, but it's such a somber color." She mused to herself, "You need something a bit… brighter." She pulled out a white men's yukata with a pair of bright red and blue stripes around the cuffs and collar.

"It looks like the school uniform." What he wouldn't admit is that he already had a shirt that looked similar.

"You're right, it does, doesn't it?" She put it down and turned to her son. "It's been so long; I don't even know what you like anymore. We talked about your friends, but nothing really about you." She touched the red strap that crossed his chest, over his heart and eyed the monstrosity strapped to his back. "If you want, we can start with your zanpakutou."

Ichigo smiled fondly, touching the hilt of his sword. "His name is Zangetsu."

"Engetsu and Zangetsu, slaying moon and cutting moon. You and your father are more similar than I realized." Masaki complimented, earning a sour look from her son. "And what about any hobbies, after-school clubs?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I have a part-time job doing odd jobs. This week I'm playing goalie for the university soccer team, next week I'll probably help Tatsuki teach her women's defense class. I heard her last one chickened out after dealing with a whole class of 'five-step disarming'."

"Oh, My." Masaki could only imagine how bad the poor man had it that day. "So you never joined any actual clubs."

Ichigo shook his head. "Too busy at first, then I just ended up helping the clubs when they ask." And pay a pretty penny, too. "I tried to join the literary club, but they… didn't want me." Translation: the one time that he had stepped into the club room, most of the students wet themselves and hid behind the book stacks while one brave student, he assumed it was the president, cut him off and gave him directions to the gym that a two-year-old could follow. Ichigo wisely ignored the 'delinquent' barb he heard when he closed the door. Walking away, Ichigo shrugged, it looked like they had never picked up an actual novel in their collective lives unless it had pictures in it anyway.

"Ah, hobbies?" Masaki asked, feigning being casual while scanning for something Ichigo would like.

"Does fighting Hollows count?" He asked, receiving a withered look from his mother. Turning to look at the racks himself, Ichigo spoke like he was embarrassed. "I like to read Shakespeare." He pulled out an azure yukata, to see that it had light blue crescents the size of his palm and white pin dots sewn in to look like stars.

"That one is nice." Masaki complimented, taking it from her son's arms and held it up. "It's not too bright, and the moon theme is very poetic. I think you should try it on."

"Not without hakama." Ichigo consented, pulling a light blue pair, a similar shade to the moons, with white ties. After declining assistance as politely as he could, he changed quickly before stepping back out. "This'll do." He tugged on the ties to make sure they were straight.

"I think it looks lovely." Masaki smiled, smoothing his collar and overlapping front panels. "And I've always admired Shakespeare as well. Maybe you could perform a scene for me one day."

He grasped her hands briefly and stepped back to the fitting rooms. "Maybe." he gave a shy smile. "I'm going to change back into my uniform now."

"He is such a handsome boy. Why do you allow him to dye his hair such an unnatural color?" The assistant asked, finishing wrapping Masaki's school uniform.

"I would have you know," Masaki's posture stiffening, "That that is the same color he has had since the day he was born." Turning around, she gave the other woman a look, "I believe that we are finished for today. Please add the men's yukata and hakama to the bill and we will be on our way." The patroness shot a murderous side-glare at her assistant, but bowed politely.

"As you wish. You would not wish to look at our hand-bags and accessories while we wait?"

"No, thank you. Your kimono are lovely, but I believe we would _clash_ if we were to remain any longer." Smiled sweetly, but her eyes were hard. She knew that her son had taken enough grief about his hair as a child and was dismayed to find that it continued still.

"Mom, its okay." Ichigo sighed, adjusting his red strap, "I'm used to it by now. Besides, half the people that matter, their hair is weirder than mine!" He commented with a half-laugh, bringing out the clothes before quickly folding them properly and handing them to the assistant. "Could you please deliver these and the yukata to the Kuchki manor? And make sure that they know to put them in my room. We have a few more things to take care of before then."

"Hai, shinigami-san," The assistant demurred, keeping her eyes downcast as she took the clothing. "As an apology for my rudeness, I will deliver these myself."

Nodding, Ichigo thanked the red girl and turned to Masaki. "Ready to go Mom? We still need to find a visiting gift." As they left, Masaki asked what type of gift they were looking for. "Anything Chappy or Ambassador Seaweed." Ichigo said with a slight grimace, "_or markers,_" He muttered, spotting a shop dedicated to the bunny. "You can go in, I'll wait out here." He muttered, fiddling with his strap.

"Ichigo?" Masaki turned to her son, and he gave her his pay card. "You know it's not very brave of you to send your mother in to buy something for your friend."

"Please?" He ignored the 'brave' comment. "If there are markers, get them. If not, Rukia likes anything Chappy-related."

"It seems like you know this Rukia girl pretty well, Ichigo. You act like you're more familiar with her than 'just a liaison'." She giggled, as Ichigo lightly pushed her toward the door. "You know, Isshin acted the same way before we started dating."

"Mom!" he warned through her giggling, continuing to push.

"You know, denial is the first stage in acceptance." She called back, finally ducking into the store. Backing off to the other side of the street, Ichigo tried not to feel completely out of place waiting for his mother to re-emerge from the themed store. Where was she? It felt like it was taking forever.

Eventually (more like ten minutes later), Masaki walked up to her son, carrying a bag that was considerably larger than a new set of markers. "Mom… what did you get?"

"Markers." Masaki commented flippantly, "Oh, and something that she might like for her birthday from you. When _is_ her birthday, anyway?"

"Mom!" He dug into the bag, indeed finding the markers (fifty-two count plus eight free scented) and a large blue Chappy plush, holding an equally-large detachable strawberry plush/pillow. "Byakuya's going to kill me." H whispered to himself, "Mom, you have to return it."

Masaki shook her head and hummed, enjoying her son's plight. "The store has a no-return policy."

"Then you keep it. I am _not_ giving that to Rukia."

"And why not, young man?"

"Because it's embarrassing!" Ichigo came as close to a whine as he ever would. "And Byakuya would kill me if I gave his sister something so, so… Personal!" Ichigo started to walk away, heading in the general direction of the noble houses of district one.

"Well, I think it's adorable either way." Masaki cooed, hugging the bag briefly before following after her son. "And if you can't be man enough to give your girlfriend something personalized, then I will have to give it to her instead." He didn't say a thing after that, but the expression on his face let her know that she had most definitely won this round.

* * *

I realized at this point that technically I only had half the chapter written, but I've hit twelve (thirteen edited) pages. Though, this ended up being a decent end for this chapter as well. I can tell, I'm making some pretty meaty chapters for this fic so far. And wow, Masaki! She's, ah, 'alive'!

See you all in chapter three (a.k.a. chapter 2, part two)!

Dark

PS, I'm thinking of changing the title to 'Baccate,' which means 'berry-like or bearing berries'. I think its cute. Please tell me your opinion!


	3. Coming Home

Chapter 3 (or chapter two, part two, if you prefer): Dinner Surprises and Coming Home

Disclaimer: Not. Mine.

Arriving at the Kuchiki manor, Ichigo was stopped by two guards that he hadn't seen before. "State your name and purpose, Shinigami." The one on the right stated, looking bored and distinctly unimpressed.

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Masaki." Ichigo returned the bored look with a challenge, "We were invited to dinner by Kuchiki Byakuya."

"I'm sorry, sir," the left guard spoke after a moment of stare-down, "but we were told to admit no one tonight. The dinner in honor of the new Juu-go Taicho is not to be interrupted."

"Oh, for the love of!" Ichigo growled, palming his face. "Has the Juu-go Taicho shown up yet? And how will you recognize him when he comes?"

"That's classified information, sir."

"I'm sure it is, but until then, as much as I hate to admit it, I was _invited_ to the dinner for the new Juu-go Taicho." Ichigo was trying a new tactic –to be calm and ask- for at least his mother and to set a good example for any passing-by shinigami, but this was getting ridiculous. He released the control he had on his reiatsu, letting it whip around him in his growing ire.

"I thought there were only thirteen squads?" Masaki asked, not blinking as she was buffeted by the stray power.

"Officially, there are." Ichigo started as the door swung open from the inside with Rukia on the other side in a formal kimono.

"You're late Ichigo." They shared a scowl, "And where's your haori?"

"I'm late because these idiots," Ichigo thumbed toward the guy on the left, "wouldn't let me in. Said something about a dinner in honor of the Juu-go Taicho and I wasn't allowed in." he spoke with a tone of sarcasm, following Rukia into the manor proper and dragging Masaki along after. "And I left it at home since I didn't feel like wearing it."

"You Idiot!" Rukia turned and gave Ichigo's shin a swift kick.

"What was that for midget?" he yelled, gripping his shin and blinking pain-tears out of his eyes.

"What do you think it's for? You should be proud to wear that haori!"

"It's a leash."

"It's an honor!" Rukia rebuffed, winding up to kick his other shin before they got too far in. Stepping up, Masaki dug out the package of markers.

"Hello. You must be Kuchiki Rukia. It's an honor to meet you." She spoke cheerfully, holding out the package. "My Ichigo-chan has told me that you're his liaison?" Ichigo choked at the diminutive 'chan' and stepped from between the two women.

"Ah, yeah." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Mom, this is Kuchiki Rukia. Midget, this is my mom-"

"Masaki! It's wonderful to finally meet you!" Rukia turned on the charm, easily accepting the package of markers. It was sure that she would greatly enjoy them later tonight. "I heard so much about you from Isshin-san and Ichigo!" Masaki was flattered, but the obviously faked cheer rubbed her like fine-grained sandpaper, but she decided to play along anyway.

"I wish I could say the same, but Ichigo-chan only found me earlier today when he was with Juu-san Taicho. Now, what is this about a dinner for the squad fifteen captain? If we're disturbing that, we can always have dinner another time."

"Yes, what a good idea! Let's go!" Ichigo perked up, grabbing his mother and pulling her along. To have upped security enough that the guards didn't even know the 'Ryoka's' face, this was more than a simple dinner with Rukia and her brother.

"Ichigo, stop that!" The smaller woman hissed, frustrated.

"You told me that it was going to be a small dinner!"

"It… was." She squirmed, not meeting the red head's eye.

"Was?" he narrowed his eyes, "So what happened?"

"The clan elders." Rukia fidgeted. "Nii-san _had_ to tell them, Ichigo, and then, well…" She trailed off.

"…How many?" He sighed, steeling himself for an even more unsavory dinner than he had originally anticipated.

"…What?" Rukia was shocked. She had expected Ichigo to fly off the handle and leave completely, not resign himself to actually attending the dinner in his honor.

"How many people are here for dinner?" He asked patiently, starting to walk to 'his' guest room. "Either way," He shook his head, "I'm glad that Mom made me get something appropriate."

"Something 'appropriate' would be your haori." Rukia muttered darkly, smoothing her kimono under the obi with a finger. "At least one person from each of the noble families are coming, including Kasumioji-san and Kuukaku-san, so there's at least twenty people, plus the Kuchiki elders."

"So… A lot." Ichigo muttered with no small amount of sarcasm as he slid open the shoji to his room. Spotting the package from the kimono shop, he slipped into the changing room. "And let me guess," he continued talking while he changed behind the screen, "I have to make nice and be polite to all of them."

"If I understand what is happening here, that would be for the best, Ichigo." Masaki nodded, "And I know that I taught you actual manners, not what I've seen this afternoon." Ichigo ducked his head shyly, covering the move by adjusting the ties on his hakama before stepping out.

"How do I look?" He asked after a moment. Rukia was silent, staring at this noble-house stranger with Ichigo's hair.

"I…" Masaki smirked, seeing the 'younger' woman's tied tongue.

She nudged the girl, "My son cleans up nice, doesn't he?" Rukia nodded, mouthing 'Kaien-dono' before snapping out of it and turning away with a blush.

"Nii-sama said to wait here until a servant comes to get you. I'll make sure to tell him that you brought your mother and to send a servant that knows you. He wants to introduce you to everyone at once." Rukia told the shoji screen, a hand on the dip used to pull the door closed. She spared a glance over her shoulder when it felt like her blush had cooled down enough and gave Ichigo a warning look. "Please, Ichigo, behave yourself."

The boy nodded. "I'll try." With a small smile, Rukia closed the door and left. Sighing in frustration, Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, spiking it even more as he internalized a mild curse word.

"Ichigo, is there something you wish to tell me, or do the Kuchiki isolate _all_ their dinner guests?" Masaki asked, her brow furrowing in contemplation for a moment as she stashed the Chappy bag in a corner.

He winced, caught in his lie of omission. It's not like he actively hid his 'promotion' from her, but more like he didn't want to admit it to himself. What was he supposed to say; 'hey mom, glad I found ya, but guess what? I'm a captain now!' Yeah, _that_ would have turned out well. He ran a hand through his hair again and touched Zangetsu's hilt, absently commanding the sword to revert to its' sealed state disguised as a pair of sunglasses and slid them into his sleeve.

"Tonight was _supposed_ to be just Byakuya, Rukia and me." Ichigo started out, opening a shoji to the porch facing one of the many Kuchiki gardens and sat down on the edge.

"I, not me," she corrected absently, joining her son, "and I got that already."

"What Rukia didn't tell me is that, for some reason, the Kuchiki elders have taken an interest in me."

"So the dinner-"

Ichigo nodded, "Is for me." He slumped against the support pole he sat by.

"Then you're-" Masaki suspected, but needed her son to confirmed it.

"The new Juu-go-Taicho. Responsible for the spiritually aware in Karakura-cho while I'm still alive. When I die," Ichigo shrugged, "I wouldn't be surprised if I get shoved into at least a lieutenant's seat in the regular Thirteen."

"Oh!" It was a surprise, but Masaki took it well, "does your Father know?"

"Yeah, the old man knows. He's also the one that told me that I don't have to wear the haori everywhere if I don't want to. It's only required at meetings and during battle."

"And when your girlfriend demands it of you." Masaki smirked.

"Rukia's not…!" Ichigo jumped up, startled.

"I never said anything about Kuchiki-chan being your girlfriend now, did I?" Masaki had a catty look on her face the likes he had seen on Rangiku when she was planning something. "But if she was, she seems the perfect girl to keep you in line when you misbehave."

"Mom!" He tried to protest, but the words stuck in his throat. "Rukia is nakama," _and can't be anything else_, he thought silently.

"Hmm…" She didn't say anything, but she wasn't blind either. She saw how the two looked and interacted together; how they were both a little rough on the surface, but there was genuine care and affection in their eyes. And when Ichigo talked about her, there was a light and an intimate knowledge that only happened when two were very close to each other. All that really concerned her was the forced-polite mask that the girl had easily slipped on in front of a 'stranger'. If she could, she would like to speak to her in private, without masks, to, at the very least, see if her son's affections were returned.

A knock came from the door, startling Masaki out of her reverie. "Kurosaki-sama," A girl bowed in the doorway, "I have been sent to retrieve you."

"Oh. Thanks." Ichigo bowed his head minutely before standing up and giving her a small, relieved, smile. He recognized the girl from the first time he had stayed at the Kuchiki manor, down to her purple-and-pink sakura petal-printed kimono.

"And Kurosaki-dono," She bowed to Masaki as well, "We have made sure to place an extra setting for you as well. Please follow me." She gestured out the door, keeping her eyes lowered and her voice as unobtrusive as possible. The two followed and quickly arrived outside one of the larger dining halls. "Please wait here, I will announce you to Kuchiki-sama." And with that, she silently slipped into the hall.

Not a moment later, they were beckoned into the hall by Byakuya's cool voice. Sliding the door open fully, Ichigo allowed his mother to enter first and be whisked away to her assigned seat before stepping in fully. Bowing deeply to the room, he then bowed to Byakuya as well. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner tonight. Although this is a larger turnout than I anticipated, I am glad that everyone is well enough to attend." He turned back to the room in general and gave a polite smile as he spotted Ukitake sitting by Shunsui. Bowing once again, Ichigo took the last empty seat by Byakuya and sat down under the scrutiny of who he assumed were the clan elders.

"Hmm, so even and uncultured child can feign manners when necessary, Kurosaki 'Taicho'." he wasn't sure if it was this use of Ichigo's newly-minted title or the slight ribbing from Byakuya, but he settled himself down for a long, stressful dinner.

Down the room, Masaki and Yoruichi were giving each other broad grins. "Ma-chan, it's so good to see you again! Where were you hiding?"

"Yu-chan! Long time, no see!" she gave the were-cat and enthusiastic hug. "You're looking as lovely as ever."

"As are you. That Kimono is beautiful on you." Yoruichi tittered, of all things; using a fan she obviously stole from Urahara to cover her mouth demurely.

"Thank you. Would you believe Ichigo-chan picked it out for me? And this morning I was only thinking about my Kido test at the academy."

"Oh? Who would have known that boy had some fashion sense in him after all." Yoruichi and Masaki laughed before the cat raised her voice enough to be heard a few seats down… not that everyone couldn't hear her perfectly well in the first place. "Oi, Ichigo, why don't you ever get anything pretty for me?" She whined, failing at hiding her mischievous grin.

Ichigo looked up from the miso soup that was on his tray and blinked like he hadn't heard a thing. "I didn't think you'd want anything from me. Besides, Uryuu is the one to ask if you want something 'pretty.' And it's not like I've ever seen you in anything more elaborate than that orange sweater before." He muttered the last part so only the Kuchiki siblings could hear and silently agree. Yoruichi, on her part, was actually wearing a black kimono with orange and indigo swirls and a gold obi to match her eyes. She, for once, looked like the noble princess she was raised to be.

"Yes, but a little token of appreciation for your godmother every once in a while would be nice, don't you think?" Masaki spoke, giving her son an expectant look.

Ichigo deadpanned, swallowing back any number of surprised words- the gaze of the clan elders and nobles he hadn't met before weighed his tongue down- before he settled with an "Oh, I didn't know."

"I would have thought Isshin," Ichigo shook his head. "Kisuke-" A raised eyebrow and a teenager's 'really, are you stupid' look, "Your godmother would have told you."

"Don't look at me. I thought the boys had told him." Yoruichi held up a hand in defense. "Although, I did get the guitar for you on your thirteenth." Ichigo gave another blank look.

"If it's any consolation, Shihoin-san, Ichigo-kun plays beautifully." Ukitake spoke, having listened in on to the 'main' conversation.

Ichigo flushed, "I'm not that good. Thank you for the guitar, Yoruichi-_baa-san_." He smirked at her flustered face and dipped his head in a small bow.

"Ichigo-kun-"

"Kurosaki-Taicho." Ichigo found himself pulling a 'Hitsugaya-Taicho', much to the amusement of the Taicho in the room.

"Yes _Kurosaki-Taicho_," The elder that he corrected was not amused. "What are your plans now that you've been given such an _illustrious_ title?" Elder Fu-Manchu gave the boy a sour look and his heart pounded like in battle for a moment.

Ichigo bit down an apathetic shrug but refused to turn his eyes away from the heavy stares coming from the row of Kuchiki elders. "Immediately? I'm going to finish high school. After that, I'm going to live my human life, however long that is, and train."

The elders shared a silent conversation before elder Babyface, the youngest on the board, spoke the next question. "Does the title mean nothing to you? Do you dare to make a mockery of the title that many shinigami have fought, and died for?"

If the board wanted to rile him up, it worked, but he managed to do nothing more harmful than a brief glare before mentally taking a step back. He knew that they were digging to find faults, especially in his temper, that seventeen months ago, would have led to his political downfall. "The title of Taicho, I respect. Every man and woman that I know that honorably bear the title, has earned it many times over. The title itself means to have the power and knowledge to protect those around you, not just those in your squad, and to help them grow in their own right. And at this point, I know that I do not live up to that standard, that's why I didn't wear the haori I was given today." He stole a side-glance at Rukia, who gave a small smile in response. "Eventually though, I do plan to make the title a reality and wear the haori with pride."

"You took a speech class, didn't you?" Rukia asked under her breath. First it was the Ganju speech, and now this one. More than likely, by next weekend, everyone will know what Ichigo said.

"Maybe." Ichigo whispered back teasingly, "Or maybe I've had way too much time to think lately."

"You, _thinking_, " Rukia whispered in mock horror, "It's the end of the world as we know it!" Ichigo snorted and gave a half smirk.

"Too late for tha-"

"Are we interrupting something?" Elder Fu-Manchu growled out, immediately snapping Rukia and Ichigo out of their little world.

"Sorry Ryounosuke-sama." Rukia immediately demurred, sitting back and lowering her eyes. A pinch to his thigh had Ichigo murmuring similar sentiments, though insincerely.

"Now, if you two are finished, we have one last question, although it seems clearly redundant at this point," he gave the young not-couple a stern look. "What are your intentions with our heir? Do you intend to continue to sully her reputation by your very presence or will you go through the proper channels to court her?" Ichigo and Rukia both invented new definitions for the color 'strawberry red' at that.

"I… have no clue what you're talking about." Ichigo spoke with a bewildered look. "If this is about being friends, I wasn't aware that I was not allowed to be friends with nobles without permission."

The elders gave Ichigo an equally blank look. "Though you are not of noble blood, you are of sufficient rank for the Kuchiki family's approval for courtship." Elder Buzz-cut spoke. "It would be a significant advantage for the Kuchiki family to have… more permanent ties to the lauded 'Hero f the Winter War'. Would you not agree?"

"Waitaminute!" Ichigo gave an unmanly squeak, "Are you talking about _marriage_?" The elders gave an unimpressed nod and Rukia turned ten whole new shades of red. "I'm not old enough to drink, let alone even think of marriage- _ow_!" Rukia pinched Ichigo hard on the thigh, shutting him up before he said something stupid, well, _more_ stupid than what he had already said.

"Ichigo," she murmured lowly, "You're allowed to drink once you enter the Gotei thirteen. And Rurichiyois married and she was twelve, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I still think that's too young." Ichigo murmured back before turning back to the elders with a serious face. "While I would like to da-court Rukia, I would have liked to renew our friendship before bringing up the subject of even seeing each other on a personal level. And then, if I am not mistaken, it would be under Byakuya-Taicho's blessing, not the Kuchiki board of elders. Were we would continue, since he is next of kin in lieu of a parental figure or a blood-related sibling. But this would all be after Rukia agrees to be courted in the first place. I will not force her into a position that she doesn't wish to be in." Ichigo could feel Rukia's eyes, but was too afraid to even glance her way to read them. "I would hope that she would be given the opportunity to marry for the sake of her heart, not what political status her future husband would grant her."

The silence following was stifling. To dare to mention a word like 'heart' and 'political status' in the same sentence was unheard of. With a grin only seen on the likes of the Cheshire cat, Kukaku leaned into Yoruichi. "Kid's got balls," she whispered, but in the silence, everyone heard her. "Knew that when you brought him to me Yu-chan, but damn!"

Yoruichi grinned right back "I forgot. Kukaku, this is Kurosaki Masaki. Masaki, this is Shiba Kukaku." She introduced the ladies on her left and right.

"Masaki, eh? You're our Isshin's reason for skipping right out of Seireitei and going into hiding, aren't you?" Masaki gave a rueful smile and shook her head.

"I'm not the reason why he left, but I'm part of the reason he stayed after his powers were sealed."

"They were sealed?" Ukitake couldn't help but to cut in. "We were told he was killed when he went on that mission." His brows furrowed over his smooth face, starting to understand the pieces to that long-forgotten puzzle.

"He nearly did if Yu-chan and Kisuke hadn't found him in time." Masaki smiled in thanks at Yoruichi.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kouraku asked, for once setting down his saké saucer.

"I was in exile." Yoruichi smirked, "and I still am, technically. And who would take the word of an exile over a _trusted captain_ anyway?"

"Isshin told me about it once." Masaki murmured, her fingertips holding her chin in thought. "He said that he and another captain were asked to inspect a rumor in Karakura about some hollows disappearing and the next thing her remembered was waking up in Kisuke's guest room."

Ukitake doubted it, but it was a standard question that he had to ask: "Was Isshin attacked by a hollow?"

Yoruichi snorted. "His soul chan and soul sleep was cut. We all know that's a high-level shinigami-specific ability."

Ukitake nodded, sparing a glance over at Ichigo before asking his next question. The boy was tense, listening attentively to his mother's… conversation while feigning interest in his meal. His energy was coiled tightly so that he wouldn't affect his mother and those around the table, but it was starting to lash out like fibers on a snapping rope. "Do," Ukitake took a breath, preparing for the backlash, "Do you know the name of the person who attacked your husband?"

"I believe Isshin said it could only be the captain that he was on the mission with. Ai-something. Though why someone with the word 'love' in their name-"

SNAP!

If it wasn't the deafening sound of a broken chopstick, it was the sudden, if brief, whirlwind of reiatsu that sucked the air out of the room that drew all eyes to Ichigo. Concentrating on his breathing (and minor actual reiatsu control), Ichigo put down his one remaining chopstick and stood up. "Excuse me for a moment."

Giving the boy a brief stare, Byakuya nodded. "Please limit your damage. You cannot yet afford the repair costs." Ichigo nodded and turned to leave.

"Ichigo, honey, what's wrong?" Masaki asked, concerned with her son's strange behavior.

"Don't worry, Momma, I'll be back in a little while." He grinned brightly, if not falsely, and turned to leave.

With a firm snap, the door slid shut behind Ichigo, obscuring his tense form from the nobles, but not his riatsu. "Was it something I said?" Masaki asked quietly.

Varying expressions of 'not me' crossed the nobles' faces as she looked around for an answer before Yoruichi let out a great sigh and slumped into her serving tray with her elbows propping her up. "I guess they haven't taught you much for 'current events' yet, have they?"

Masaki shook her head, "What does that have to do with my son?"

"Everything, Masaki-san," Ukitake spoke lowly, "Your son is a hero."

Shunsui nodded in agreement. "Without him and his sacrifices, I doubt the war would have been over as quickly as it was."

"What war? What did my son do this time?"

Yoruichi sighed. "Maybe we should start from the beginning. Rukia, do you wish to go first?"

She shook her head, blushing. "No, thank you."

Elder Fu-Manchu scoffed. "You don't wish to speak about the dishonor you put the Kuchiki family though by giving a _human child_ your shinigami power? Or that he retained such power, leaving you helpless, and, in your powerless state, he overtook your most basic duties?"

Rukia flushed. "Ichigo could see me already, and had enough power on his own to break the Bakudo I set on him before the hollow attacked. I was injured and the hollow had grabbed one of the twins." Masaki suppressed a gasp of horror, clamping down on what she wanted to say. Of course the girls turned out fine from the attack, Ichigo said that they were both healthy earlier. "Even before I gave him my power, he was trying to save us from the hollow." Rukia had to look down for a moment; she was getting too emotionally involved in her storytelling. "It was either allowing Ichigo to become involved by giving him a portion of my power, or forcing him to watch his family be killed and likely be eaten, along with myself. I intended to only give him a fraction of my power, not everything short of my life force."

Masaki nodded gently in understanding. "Like a moist sponge. Ichigo was born with power which Isshin sealed most of it when he was born. We were going to actively start training him when he turned sixteen. I'm assuming that when you gave him your power, you likely broke or severely weakened the seal. So he's a hero for saving you?"

Yoruichi smirked, "Not exactly, but Rukia definitely thinks so, especially after he rescued her from execution." She purred, giving the girl a teasing look.

"Execution?" Masaki was shocked, "what for?"

"For giving Ichigo my powers and not reporting the incident." She gave everything to not mumble the sentence into her kimono sleeve.

"Which is usually punished by a severe reprimand and temporary suspension of duties." Ukitake took over, believing Rukia had enough scrutiny. "And the human's powers are permanently sealed if he has any remaining. Byakuya-kun was correct by sealing Ichigo-kun's power, since we assumed at the time that he was a normal human that got power-hungry."

"So he then broke the seal again and rescued Rukia-chan." Masaki summarized nicely, playing with the strawberry on her dessert before eating it.

Yoruichi grimaced, downing the saké she had been served in one go. "There is no going back once the soul chain and soul sleep are cut, only moving on." Masaki gasped. Isshin had told her what the technique entailed and how slow it was to heal. "You should be proud of your boy and what he will go through for those he cares about."

"I am. And whatever my little boy did I have no doubt that you and Kisuke had a hand in it." Yoruichi gave Masaki a wry smile.

"He would have figured a way to do it eventually. As for our part in regaining his powers so soon after being sealed… That's something Ichigo would like to tell you about whenever he's ready." While being a Visored was generally accepted among the higher ranks in the court squads, it was also not accepted to speak about it in open conversation such as the Kuchiki dinner party, where ears were open and scrutiny ran rampant. Half of the nobles attending were already leery of the boy, and to call attention to his hollow-like abilities was just asking for untoward attention. "What was impressive though, was that he achieved Bankai as well before rescuing her."

"I thought that would have been something recent…?" her first day on Zanjutsu class, the sensei had lectured about the different sword types and what it took to achieve Shikai and Bankai. The teacher mentioned that it took an average age of one hundred or older before even thinking about Bankai.

Yoruichi shook her head. "If he would have been put through academy classes, it would have likely taken him longer, but he would have more than his physical and sword skills to rely on."

Masaki frowned in concentration, showing everyone exactly where her son got it from. "But he was doing so well when he was little. He didn't know the spells by name, but Isshin and I taught him the first five spells at least before I… died. We treated them like games." Her frown smoothed out in contemplation, "How did you try to teach him, _did_ you try to teach him?"

Yoruichi blinked. "Isshin never told me. I heard that Tessai tried to test him with Kido one afternoon, but I never heard how the testing turned out."

"I believe Ichigo-kun spoke of that incident the other day." Ukitake spoke up, "It was both former captain Tessai and former lieutenant Hachigen that tested him and the results were… reported unfavorable for kido." Rukia couldn't completely withhold her snort of laughter, earning her a glower from the elders.

"Yes, but then he performed that wonderful manipulation to replace the string on his instrument. The end result was very realistic and done with no real concentration on his part. I believe that if he was to get the correct instructor, he could become quite proficient."

"He needs work on his control." Kukaku snorted. "He has a start and luckily most of the people in here could endure his little _flare up_, but he has no endurance for it. Give him to me for a month and I can beat it into him; that seems to be the way to teach him." Kukaku snorted, tossing back her shot of saké.

"So much violence!" Masaki's eyes were wide in shock before turning away demurely. "Then again, that's pretty much how Isshin and I taught him too." She muttered. Rukia couldn't hold her snort of laughter this time. "Ichigo and Isshin-san still spar every morning before breakfast, Masaki-san. Was that part of how you would teach him?"

"Well, yes and no. What the boys did is nothing so formalized as to be called a spar. Isshin always insisted on waking the boy up with a tackle as soon as he started formalized karate classes. It's not like he had enough bruises already from Tatsuki-chan." Masaki pouted, recalling just how many times she had patched the two of them up when Ichigo was lucky enough to get in a strike.

"Don't worry Masaki-san. The only thing that's changed is that Ichigo tends to win more." Rukia reassured with a smile.

Masaki gave a decisive nod. "Good. My dear husband deserves it for all the antics he put us through." Closing her eyes for a moment, she cast her senses for Ichigo's signature. "Speaking of antics, what has my darling son gotten up to? He's taking his time already, and this party is for him, is it not?"

"Nii-sama?" Rukia shifted to stand up and received Byakuya's silent permission. "Masaki-san, I'll go look for Ichigo. No doubt he got lost or something." Rukia bowed her way out, not blaming Ichigo for not coming back yet either. She had about enough of the scrutinizing stares of the elders and the faceless nobles that didn't know anything, but dared to pass judgment on someone that had saved their very way of life. At least the main dinner party was now over and the less curious were slowly trickling away. The only real problem now was the gossipmongers that were hanging on to their every word. And the elders! What right did they have to bring up mar- to talk about marria-… and in front of strangers too!

Walking down the silent corridors, Rukia turned red enough to outshine Ichigo's namesake fruit. And the way that he spoke his intentions! _Renew our friendship… Byakuya-taichou's blessing… after Rukia agrees… marry for the sake of her heart. _If he would have asked, she would have said yes right there. It was, hands down, the most romantic thing he had ever said. He was, by no means, Minamoto Yoshitsune, but in his own way Ichigo could be very romantic, especially when he didn't mean to be.

* * *

Stepping off the back porch and into Hisana-nee's garden, Rukia spotted a faintly glowing orb hovering around the wisteria bush in one corner. "What the…?" She had seen spirit orbs in the human world with souls that didn't have enough power to maintain shape, but she had never seen anything close to the same in the spirit world. The orb dipped and wove between the branches, seeming to pulse with a steady heartbeat. Stepping closer, she spotted a dozen more perched on the surrounding bushes, casting a gentle glow on someone lying down in the grass.

"Hey, Rukia." Ichigo murmured, lying on his back with one hand pillowed behind his head and the other batting at an orb like it was a dying helium balloon. "Are they gone yet?" He spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere he had created.

"Some of them are. You missed dissert though. It was strawberries and sweet crème." She spoke with a small amount of amusement, curiously poking at one of the orbs. It skittered away and popped like a small firework. "What are these anyway?"

Ichigo sat up and shrugged, drawing all the orbs toward himself and into one bigger orb. "Mom called them wisps, Xcution called it bringer light. You and everyone else would call it a nameless kido." He shrugged again and looped his arms around the basketball-sized orb, handing it to Rukia, where it promptly exploded into an array of lights, drawing a short laugh from both of them.

"What you said earlier…" Rukia could feel the awkward tension return as Ichigo led Rukia back to the porch. At least in the dark they couldn't see the others' blush.

"Take it how you like, but I meant it. It should be your choice." She didn't know the amount of courage a simple peck on the cheek took, but Ichigo immediately jumped up into the porch after. "Since dinner is over, I should probably take Mom back to her dorm. Night, Rukia." He nodded and left.

"Goodnight Ichigo." She murmured back, long after he left her sight. Whatever he had been doing during the past year and a half made him more contemplative. Just as passionate when it mattered, but… almost calmer in a sense. It was as if he had finally come home.

* * *

**Minamoto Yoshitsune: **Ok, you're asking 'who the heck is Minamoto Yoshitsune' and I don't blame you. I didn't want to use a reference like Fabio because, well, Rukia wouldn't know who the heck Fabio is. On the other hand Minamoto-san was born in the 10th century to a samurai family. He became famous for his exploits and abilities and his stories eventually became very romantic and the basis for several manga and anime characters today. Being in the Kuchiki clan, Rukia likely spent some time reading romances involving Minamoto-san as part of her classical literature studies. If you want, call him Fabio with a katana.

On another note… Sorry for taking so long! I am actually working on typing up/editing the next chapter and hopefully it'll take less time until I'm able to update again!

See ya around!

Dark Inu Fan


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